Glossary · Backlog

INVEST

INVEST is a mnemonic for the qualities of a well-formed user story — Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, and Testable. Independence matters most: stories that can ship on their own keep flow smooth and reduce coupling. Running each story through INVEST catches vague or oversized work before it reaches a sprint.

Related terms

User Story

A small, user-centered description of a need: as a role, I want an action, so that an outcome.

Backlog Grooming (Refinement)

The ongoing work of clarifying, splitting, estimating, and reordering backlog items.

Definition of Ready (DoR)

The criteria a backlog item must meet before a team will pull it into a sprint.

Put the method into practice.

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